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I have a long list of hobbies. Posts on this blog will be of a wide range and mix. Pretty much my trials, tribulations and successes will be posted here as I mosey along the long and winding hobby road of life. I fade sometimes. I am trying to be better about that.

I spin. I own a Kromski Polonaise now. This is a big birthday year for me (2009) and so this year called for gifting myself with my dream spinning wheel. Vivat! Vivat! Vivat!

I knit. I am not a great knitter but I keep trying. My first sweater is still in progress. On Ravelry I am SecretSpindle. I dabble in felting as well.

I am in the SCA and my persona is a 1550's Ottoman Turkish woman. Her name is Safiye bint Kara Sun'Allah. I live in the Kingdom of Aethelmearc and the Barony of Thescorre. I am trying to become more involved. This year my daughter joined up with me and is very eager to learn fencing. She got a starter set at Pennsic 38 for her birthday. I love garb creation. She has chosen Italian Ren so that will bring me some costuming challenge. This past year I have worked on making my Turkish garb more accurate. Now time for the detail work. I want to learn the Scribal Arts as well.

Genealogy is a big part of my life. There is a separate blog for that.

Letterboxing. I love to do it but it got lost in the "OMG, I just don't have enough time for all of this!!" shuffle.

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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

That is the name of this sheep. It is a beautiful BorderLeicester that I purchased as a fleece back in......... 1997!!!! Or maybe 1996. My shipping copy shows they received the fleeces 12/23/97 and I got them back in June of 1998. I remember having a lot of fleeces that I washed but then decided to send them all to Ohio Valley Fibers to have everything scoured and pin drafted. I sent 7 in all I think then proceeded to move them, store them in a cubby in the hallway of my apartment building.. unheated. So in the winter is was in freezing temps, in the summer hot and humid temps. The fleeces were pin drafted into plastic bags and two were put to a box. And, they have all moved twice.

Oddly, when I decided to deal with them this year.. ie, downsizing 50 percent of what I own because I am tired of owning so much and want to simplify my life.... (Writers note: All these fleeces went on Craigslist in a harsh moment.. the ad was deleted 2 days later.. I know.. 2 days WAS a long time...). Anywho... I did get rid of a lot of stuff but decided to keep all the spinning stuff. Spinning was the wrong hobby for me to kull so I will work harder on balancing all of my very many hobbies! Plus, I bought the Kromski wheel that I coveted. I have no self control.

I did seriously look closely at these 7 fleeces I had sent off in 1998 and found one thing interesting. The three white fleeces were not as nice, got just a hair sticky over time and over all I did not like the way they felt in my hand. So.. out they went. The dark fleeces though were all super nice. Soft. This fleece is particularly soft and fluffs up with just a little tug as the pin draft rope lifts out of the bag. I have to say I am way impressed with the job Ohio Valley did. No rodent damage or bug damage for all of the years neglected and wow... it is just beautiful. This is a dark gray but it looks more a brown gray than a black gray.

Stats: I sent it to Ohio Valley as 4 lbs, 3 oz. It came back after scouring at 3 lbs, 14 oz. That is not bad at all knowing at home I probably did not get all the grease out. There is no stickiness to it after sitting. I will have a whole lot of yarn when I am done spinning this. It is not scratchy but being a mid weight it will be suitable for a blanket or a nice warm jacket type sweater. I see where my mind is going on this already. Too bad I haven't yet finished my first knit sweater!